SICB Symposium: Taking Physiology to the Field: Advances in Investigating Physiological Function in Free-Living Vertebrates, to be held January 3-7, 2001, Chicago, IL

在过去的几十年里，比较生理学家和生态生理学家成功地描述了许多奇妙的方式，来自不同栖息地的生物体专门适合这些栖息地的生命。然而，这些研究中的绝大多数都是在实验室进行的，在实验室里，动物及其环境受到控制和操纵。比较生理学和生态生理学目前正在进行的一个重要方向是在自然条件下探索生理功能，并考虑到生态环境。为此，PI们组建了一个演讲者小组，他们正在推动测量和解释自由生活动物的生理功能的能力。这些演讲者将专注于脊椎动物，并将从几个方向探讨这一主题。首先，他们将讨论各种生理系统；演讲将集中在能量、身体状况、温度调节、消化和新陈代谢、渗透调节、生殖、压力和其他方面。其次，他们将探索各种方法；演讲将集中在内分泌学、遥测、稳定同位素、表型工程、免疫测试、组织和体液成分的评估等方面。第三，他们将讨论各种脊椎动物类型；作者将就候鸟、海洋哺乳动物、食蜜者等发表演讲。本次研讨会将与综合与比较生物学学会年会(2001年1月，伊利诺伊州芝加哥)同时举行，预计这些报告将概述自然条件下生理系统研究的概念和方法进展，以期回答具有生态重要性的问题。在这个过程中，他们将继续加强我们对动物如何在各种压力下生存的欣赏。此外，它们将有助于提供对生态问题的见解，例如地球上动物的分布受到什么限制，以及环境变化的模式可能如何影响这一点。

Over the past decades, comparative and ecological physiologists have succeeded in describing numerous marvelous ways in which organisms from a variety of habitats are specialized for life in those habitats. However, the great majority of these investigations have been performed in the laboratory, where animals and their environments are under control and manipulable. An important direction in which comparative and ecological physiology is now proceeding is to explore physiological function under natural conditions and with ecological context in mind. Toward that end, the PIs have assembled a panel of speakers who are pushing forward the ability to measure and interpret physiological function of free-living animals. These speakers will focus on vertebrate animals and will approach this topic from several directions. First, they will address a variety of physiological systems; presentations will focus on energy, body condition, temperature regulation, digestion and metabolism, osmoregulation, reproduction, stress, and others. Second, they will explore a variety of methodological approaches; presentations will focus on endocrinology, telemetry, stable isotopes, phenotypic engineering, immune testing, evaluation of tissue and body fluid composition, and more. Third, they will discuss a variety of vertebrate types; authors will speak on migratory birds, marine mammals, nectarivores, and others. This symposium will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (Chicago, IL, January 2001).Together, it is anticipated that these presentations will provide an overview of conceptual and methodological advances in the investigation of physiological systems under natural conditions with a view to answering questions of ecological importance. In the process, they will continue to enhance our appreciation of how animals survive under varied and stressful circumstances. Moreover, they will help to provide insights into ecological questions such as what limits the distributions of animals on Earth, and how this might be affected by patterns of environmental change.